A young mother is distraught after a Gauteng hospital's staff "mistakenly" discarded her dead baby along with medical waste, according to a report.

The mother wished to bury her dead child.

SowetanLIVE reported on Tuesday that the stillborn baby, which weighed more than 1kg, was meant to be given to the family for burial.

The publication reported that Zandile Zolo, 21, from Duduza, gave birth to the stillborn baby girl at Pholosong Hospital on the East Rand on 2 February. She had been eight months pregnant.

According to the publication, the family started preparing for the funeral. But when they went to fetch the child's remains, they were reportedly made to wait for a long time before returning home.

A doctor and nurses later visited them and told the family the body of the baby was mistakenly thrown away as part of medical waste and incinerated.

Zolo is reportedly inconsolable. The hospital apologised and offered the young mother counselling.

Gauteng health spokesperson Philani Mhlungu told News24 the matter was being investigated and said the hospital would comment once the investigation was completed.

The Births and Deaths Registration Act states that only foetuses under 26 weeks old may be disposed of as medical waste.

 - Compiled by Riaan Grobler